


The Liars Among Us

by Feyra



Category: RWBY
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Espionage, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Pining, Qrow is always drunk, Qrowin - Freeform, Scenes of a sexual nature - Freeform, minor BlackSun, minor noren, qrow gets off to pissing winter off, snowbird, spy AU, winter always needs coffee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 10:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21509842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feyra/pseuds/Feyra
Summary: A Qrowin Spy AU. An inside job at Beacon Academy, school for spies-in-training, leaves a senior staff member missing and Winter Schnee assigned undercover as a teacher to find the mole. Problem is, she has to come back to everything she left behind two years ago, including the man whose feelings made her run in the first place. Updates may vary.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. She Loves Control

** _Cold, 'cause she has been here before_ **  
  


** _She doesn't cry anymore, no looking back_ **  
  


** _No, she doesn't go to the bar_ **  
  


** _Too many lovers she scarred_ **  
  


** _And they want her back_ **

** - _She Loves Control, Camila Cabello_ **

The silence unnerved Winter. 

The secret to successfully talking about sensitive topics without external ears is to talk in a loud,busy room. Hard to eavesdrop with multiple ongoing conversations and distracting noises around you.

So the fact that Ironwood wanted to have a meeting with her at her campus _library_ of all places made her doubt his place as director of an espionage organization sometimes. Perhaps he was getting old.

She moved quickly, slinging her satchel over her shoulder, her glasses propped over her head. She smiled at a student who waved at her. “Hey Linda! Here to study?”

Winter nodded, patting her satchel. “Gonna hit the books for that test we’ve got next week. Have a good one!” Her fellow student grinned before turning her back on Winter, who dropped her smile.

Lying was easy for her. Winter had learned long ago to control her breathing, slow her heart rate and speak nonsense to a lie detector flawlessly. 

She was a natural spy that way. 

Her expression hardened as she walked towards a table in a dark isolated corner, noticing a man sitting there and flipping through a book. Her eyes observed his casual demeanor, which she knew masked rigid and ready attention. She almost snorted when she saw the title of the book he was reading. Of course. _The Art of War_. How typical.

She slid into the seat across him casually, setting her bag on the desk.

“Hello, _Linda_.”

“Samuel.” She hissed the name of his cover identity, not hiding her irritation.

He raised an eyebrow, taking out a pen from his lapel, pressing the top of it and setting it next to her bag. She winced a bit as the pen made a high pitched whirring noise.

The jammers were a strict precaution before any conversations were to take place. The noise was irritating, but Winter knew it was necessary. They provided a helpful signal to blur out any electronic interference.

“What do you do when the crows come calling?” 

Winter sighed, and diligently repeated her line to the code. “When _Qrow_ comes calling, he wants alcohol.”

The barest hint of a smile quirked on the director’s face. 

“Hello, Agent Schnee.” He greeted politely.

“Director Ironwood.”

“How is the civilian life?” He settled back into his chair, feigning a relaxed demeanor.

“Well, besides the fact that even my civilian life is a false identity as well? Just peachy. Get on with whatever you’re here for _._ ”

“Friendly as ever, Winter. You know these precautions come with the civilian life _you_ chose. It’s necessary, especially considering who you are.”

“I _know_ , James. Now, is this about a new assignment, or a check up? Because I wasn’t lying about the test.”

“Neither, actually. We need you back at Beacon.”

Winter frowned. “Beacon? What for?”

Beacon Academy was an international underground enrichment program for young trainee agents. The targeted student body were children of current or former operatives, stranded individuals with certain potential, and reformed enemy operatives. 

Winter was one of the first category. The Schnee family had been an important stepping stone in the creation of the academy itself, and held influence in multiple major stock markets, enough for Winter’s inheritance to be worth millions. Not that she cared about the money. 

His voice lowered, his eyes glancing quickly around. “Amber’s been compromised.”

Winter’s expression blanked, and she let out a sharp breath. “What? How? Is she alright?”

“She’s missing. We have reason to think it’s an inside job since Amber doesn’t leave academy grounds anymore. I’m sorry to say we have to pull you out of your leave so soon. But we don’t have the option of risking the students’ safety. This place is their only fortress. We can’t let anyone harm our future operatives, _especially_ not from within.” 

“So you want me to?...” She looked at him expectantly.

“Take over Amber’s duties for a while. I need you to find our mole. If anyone can detect deception, it’s you.”

Winter figured she would take that as a compliment. 

“Which class?”

“Hand-to-Hand Combat.” One of her specialties.

“I’m assuming none of the staff are in on this as well.” Winter’s voice was dry and expectant.

Ironwood shook his head, his face impassive. “I’m afraid we can’t afford to trust most of them at this point.”

“When do I come in?”

“Tomorrow at 0600 hours.”

“Fine.”

Winter stood up abruptly, slipping the pen into her bag. “I’ll take this. I’m going to do some research tonight. I don’t want to be traced. Did you excuse me from my classes for the time being?”

“Of course, Agent Schnee.”

Winter began walking away, but stopped when she heard the director clear his throat.

“You know he’s a teacher this year, right?”

Winter clenched her fist. “Of course he is.” she snarled under her breath.

“Good day, Linda.”

“Goodbye, Samuel.”

Winter held her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. Good God, what she’d do for some of Klein’s fresh coffee back home. 

Winter’s townhouse was clean and orderly, mostly because she had never really gotten to unpacking, even after two years of living there. She loved it anyway. The empty walls, the spacious halls. It was satisfying to have a home all to herself. Not that it mattered anymore, seeing as she would be moving back to Beacon in the next few short hours.

Accessing the school’s rather large database from an external network had been rather tricky, especially when trying not to be detected, but Winter had managed. Her hacking skills were a bit subpar, but all she needed were backgrounds, families, and personal information of this year’s instructors. Nothing too secretive.

There were over thirty men and women to be examined, and Winter had only gotten through a third of the lot. So far, she’d only managed to get through the younger, newer group of teachers.

Pyrrha Nikos was teaching this year, huh? Governments of the World. Winter didn’t know her personally, but they were friendly enough. She was loyal to a fault, so Winter could probably rule her out.

Lie Ren was a transfer agent from China who was known for his quick and clean assassinations. His subject was Mixed Martial Arts, and he would’ve had potential to be the double agent, if it hadn’t been for his partner Nora Valkyrie. Rumor has it that he and the Scandinavian agent were in a... _compromisable_ relationship, but they were both invaluable so nothing could be done about it.

Knowing Nora Valkyrie, Agent Ren wouldn’t have the time nor the _energy_ to be a rogue agent, keeping up with her.

Winter thought of such a relationship as incredibly dangerous. It was naive. Silly, even. There were too many risks, too many factors that could go wrong in that kind of situation. Winter had never been in love, maybe infatuated with the occasional civilian, but she knew better than to form any kind of romantic bond. 

At least that’s what she told herself.

A ding from her phone drew Winter’s attention away from her laptop screen. A smile drew itself on her lips when she saw Weiss’ name. That’s right. Her sister would be one of the student teachers the upcoming semester. 

She swiped her finger across the phone to see what Weiss had said.

**_[I heard you’re coming back to Beacon from Ironwood! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?]_ **

**_[I just found out myself. It will be good to see you. What subject will you be teaching this year, sister?]_ **

**_[I’m teaching World Languages this year. I have the room right next to Blake Belladonna! Remember that girl? She’s one of the rare few dating a civilian. In our line of work! I heard he’s even a trapeze artist in a circus of all things. Isn’t that just barbaric?]_ **

**_[I thought the two of you were friends, were you not?]_ **

**_[But of course! That doesn’t mean I have to approve of her dating choices.]_ **

Winter let out a short laugh. Her little sister never ceased to be so amusing.

**_[Speaking of barbaric, that awful Qrow man got into a spar with Glynda the other day. Over her RIGHTFULLY reprimanding him about that absurd flask he carries around. What kind of example would that set for the students? How ever did you stand being his field partner Winter?]_ **

Winter’s hands shook slightly as she typed out a response.

**_[Does he know I’m coming back?]_ **

Weiss was silent for a moment before Winter saw her type again.

**_[I think so.]_ **

Her hands curled inwards at that and she put her phone down before she could accidentally crush it. She turned back to her computer to continue her work, only to freeze at the tiny profile picture of a handsome man with blood-red eyes and raven-colored hair flecked with slashes of gray.


	2. Hurts Like Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Qrow Branwen, mix in a copious amount of alcohol, and add a dash of bitterness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddd, this chapter feels so rough but I wanted to add some more to this very lax multi-chapter fic hehe.

**_And I hope it hurts like hell (oh-oh-oh)_ **

**_And I hope it hurts like hell (oh-oh-oh)_ **

**_You shoulda never let me go_ **

**_I know I'm messing up your mind_ **

**_The devil got you good this time_ **

**_And I hope it hurts like hell (oh-oh-oh)_ **

**_-Hurts Like Hell, Madison Beer_ **

The sensation of burning liquid dulled his senses wonderfully. And God, did he need the alcohol now more than ever.

The Ice Queen was coming back huh? 

Just thinking about her made Qrow throw back some more whiskey.

A sharp rap at his door made him jolt, spilling some of said whiskey onto his shirt. He looked down in minor disdain before glancing at the door again. “Come in!”

Taiyang came striding in, wrinkling his nose at the sight of his brother-in-law slumped over in his chair, shirt stained a light brown from his drink. “Gee, Qrow, didn’t know there was a way for you to get even more embarrassing,” he teased.

Qrow scowled in response, making a half-hearted attempt to stop Taiyang from swiping his flask, but instead nearly fell out of his chair butt first. 

Taiyang sighed. “Come on man. The semester officially starts in like ten minutes. You’re going to let your students see the famed Weapons Ed instructor like this?”

The dark-haired man snorted. “As if these kids will give a damn.” His sloppy expression sobered up as Taiyang stared at him with a thoughtful look on his face. “What is it?” He didn’t like that look. Not one bit.

“This,” Taiyang said as he waved the weathered brown flask at Qrow’s slumped over figure, “isn’t because a certain white-haired assassin is coming back is it?” 

“So you’ve heard.” Qrow averted his gaze, drumming his fingers along the top of his desk.

“Well the staff was briefed on her arrival this morning, but I’m sure you found out on your own, given the prior circumstances.”

“Nothing happened between us,” Qrow said curtly, repeating what he’d said to Ironwood, to Raven, to  _ himself  _ countless times. Rehearsed that damn phrase to perfection, honestly.

“Saying that nothing happened between you two is like saying Ironwood watches Disney musicals in his spare time. Shit’s just  _ funny _ .”

Qrow growled, rubbing at the wet spot of alcohol that was still barely visible above his lapel. “We had a good thing going. Our success rate was through the roof, but she wanted to cut ties. So what?”

“You and I both know that’s not why you’re like this.” Taiyang’s sympathetic look was getting on Qrow’s last nerves. He abruptly got out of his chair and made his way out of his classroom, intent on escaping Taiyang’s pointless prodding. 

And to get some coffee since his fucking alcohol was confiscated.

The blond man trailed behind Qrow diligently as he meandered his way down the dark hall. “You really sure you're alright man?”

“The world didn’t start or end with Winter fuckin’ Schnee.” Qrow finally snapped, turning his head back to glare at Taiyang.

“Is that right?” A voice murmured, sending chills down Qrow’s spine.  _ No _ .

Qrow whipped his head around only to stare into familiar frigid blue eyes, and his breath caught without him realizing.

There she was, in her prissy, perfectly pressed gray Beacon uniform. Qrow figured she had burned the stupid thing already with how fast she ran from them all. 

Winter’s fingers were wrapped around a coffee cup and she had her arms crossed with her signature impassiveness on her face. Her caffeine addiction was still present, Qrow noticed absentmindedly.

She hadn’t really changed at all, in fact. Maybe a little more wear and tear around her eyes from lack of sleep, but other than that, the young woman was still as icily beautiful as the day he’d seen her walk away from him. 

Qrow quickly wiped the surprise from his face, replacing it with a smirk. “Winter Schnee, as I live and breathe,” he drawled casually.

Her eyes traveled up his body, lingering on the brown spot peeking out from his shirt, and finally settled on his face. “You haven’t changed a bit, Branwen.” That comment and her utterly blank expression made his brow furrow.

“So we’re back to calling me  _ Branwen _ ? After all we've been through,” he mocked, stepping closer. Her eyebrow raised, but she stood her ground. “Not that it really mattered to you anyway, seeing as you. Still. Left.” He smiled down at her, an air of accusation lacing each enunciation of his words. 

Her shoulders were drawn up defensively, like a cat ready to pounce or flee, and there was something brewing just under the surface of the guard she had up that Qrow  _ needed  _ to draw out.

“Qrow-” He distantly heard Taiyang’s cautious warning, but ignored it.

She was right here in front of him after all this time, and it pissed him off that she was so casual, so damn unaffected. It was so fucking  _ fake _ . The voice in the back of his brain told him to leave it alone, but the ever-present buzz of alcohol spurred him on.

“I heard you were running around as a civilian for the last, what, two years? How did ol’ Pops react? Perfect Princess Schnee,” Qrow spat, “rejecting her du-”

“Qrow!” Taiyang’s voice was sharper this time, but Winter held up a slender hand at the blond man behind Qrow.

Her eyes had turned from frigid to flaming. “Our partnership expired. End of story, Branwen. I’m just here to fill in for Amber, so unless you want me to take you down right here in this hallway and leave you with a dislocated joint, I suggest you get your head out of your ass and  _ back off _ .” Her voice had lowered to a growl, and Qrow felt a familiar rush of adrenaline go through him. There was the Winter he knew.

The Winter he had missed.

He lowered his head, staring unflinchingly back into her steely gaze. “Just try it sweetheart.” And with that, Qrow knew with certainty that he was now under her skin. It was one of his many talents really.

Before Qrow could react, a slate-gray blur had swept over him and he buckled down to the ground under her body weight. His breath was knocked right out of his body as she wrenched his arm back. “Stop testing me Qrow!”

He carefully craned his neck back to crack a grin at her. “But it’s so easy, Ice Queen.” His slow wink finally caused her expression to explode and her pale face split into a wild look of fury, and to Qrow it was like air had finally come back into his lungs. Ironic given his current situation.

Her cheeks were dusted with the softest shade of pink and it made his heart pound. Winter was undoubtedly  _ exquisite _ in anger.

“Schnee let him go!” Taiyang called in protest. As much pain as Qrow was in, he kind of didn’t want her to release contact. Did that make him a masochist? Probably.

He felt her weight lift off his back, and he slumped his head down to the floor with a groan. He flexed his arm back and forth, working out the soreness. Taiyang tried to help him up, but Qrow waved his hands off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her heeled boots click away quickly.

“You didn’t dislocate  _ shit _ , Winter!”He yelled after her. He didn’t have to look up to know that she hadn’t spared a glance back. But he knew she had heard him.

The earsplitting shriek of the academy’s bell pierced his already ringing ears, and Qrow mourned the fact that he hadn’t even had the chance to grab coffee.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Twitter is FeyraTweets :)


End file.
